"Sigh, look at what you've done to me, I'm now all sweaty."
Nova leaned back on the bench. It was noon, and they were having a reprieve from the scorching sun under some boughs at the edge of the playground.
Ares looked behind them, just beyond the low fence. There was an ice cream truck with people crowded in front of the window.
"Why don't you get some ice cream?"
Nova turned back, following his gaze, before digging her hand into her pocket. The hand came out with a note and a student ID card stuck together. Returning the ID, she stood up and walked out of the playground.
Ares continued looking back.
A middle-aged man with pulled-back reddish-brown hair.
Right now, he was pretending to focus on getting an ice cream, while in actuality, he had been staring at him. No, since it had lasted more than five seconds, 'stare' was the right word.
Ares swiveled back. "To discover a hunter's path, first walk as a blind fox."
Three minutes later, Nova returned, carrying two ice-cream cones in her hands. She stood in front of him, continuously shifting her weight and crossing her thighs.
"Ouch! Hold these for a second!"
Ares didn't move. His focus was locked on the subtle shifting of her weight. However, when he saw her face twist into a grimace, he took the ice creams from her hands.
"Fuck you!"
She wheeled around, running towards the washroom with her hips locked rigid.
"So dramatic."
He shifted his gaze, and as his eyes wandered around the playground, they met a certain woman's. Her hand was clamped around a little girl's tiny wrist, her nails polished matte-black.
A slow, intimate curve softened the corner of her mouth. She began walking toward him, marching the child along while letting her hips linger with every stride.
Ares averted his gaze.
'No ma'am. I'm not the man for that kind of sustained effort.'
The woman ultimately closed the distance. She stood mere inches from him, blocking his forward view. When Ares met her eyes, she bent over him, cooing, "Can you handle her for me while I run to the washroom?"
Ares opened his mouth, but before he could speak, his eyes unconsciously flicked to the child. She was staring into his eyes.
'Damn.'
She would surely think he's mean. He faced the woman. "Make it quick, then. I don't care for messy follow-up."
Turning around, she quickly walked away, purring, "Just stand there! Don't move!"
Ares trained his gaze on her leaving back. Though she said she was visiting the washroom, she briskly walked down the park, ultimately exiting it. She must be heading for a washroom outside the park.
Ares's gaze returned to the child. He definitely knows nothing about babysitting. Still, he had to try.
The girl's eyes were now on the ice cream in his left hand. She probably wants it. Immediately, he handed her the ice cream, and she started licking it.
"Good girl."
He gently patted her hair, before carefully lifting her and placing her next to him on the bench. That simplified things. Watching her won't be a problem.
Two minutes later, Nova stepped out of the washroom, now walking with her hips swinging freely. The craving hit her. She needed that ice cream. It's probably already melting. As she rounded the corner beside the picnic tables, she looked ahead at the playground and saw Ares seated on the bench next to a child. With her lips parting, she stopped in her tracks. She clearly didn't leave the house in vain. Finally, she had caught him.